Texas Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief 2017

It seems to be happening too often nowadays. Mother nature unleashing her fury upon the fine people on our southern coast. On the evening of August 25, the people of Texas would brace for what is said to be one of the costliest disasters in decades. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southeast Texas as a category 4
hurricane with winds over 130 mph and then stalled and sat there for
days, dropping an astonishing 40 to 65 inches of rain.

A hurricane can pack some terribly strong winds and potentially do some serious damage but the rain and storm surge are ultimately what really does the serious damage. Think about what 1 foot of water in the house can do. It destroys flooring. It will have you tearing out your walls and insulation. Your furniture will be destroyed and all your appliances will need replacing. All the doors in the house will need replacing as well as the cabinets. These are only a few of the consequences of a water event. A wind event will claim some properties and spare others but a water event will take out entire communities and do unimaginable amounts of damage.

In many areas, private flood insurance is not available and other places
flood insurance can be too costly. What some people don't know is that
even if you have hurricane insurance, it will not cover storm surge or
flooding. Your house must be physically damaged by wind. I would recommend
that anyone who lives in an area that is questionable, look into getting
flood insurance if it is available to you.

Federal relief has been slow going and I saw people desperately trying
to fix their homes with limited resources and their savings. These
people, just like those that I met in Baton Rouge last year, rolled up their sleeves and were
determined to keep moving forward. The people in Houston were truly
amazing people and very hospitable, given the circumstances. Their
stories were truly shocking and their attitudes were truly
inspirational.

In the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and the Mexico earthquake, The Home Depot Foundation committed 3 million dollars to non-profits like American Red Cross, Convoy of Hope, Operation Blessing, Building Together and Team Rubicon. The Home Depot also, through its Homer Fund, provided financial assistance through grants to almost 5,000 of its associates affected by these hurricanes.

Once the roads were cleared and power was restored The
Home Depot chartered bus after bus and got together crews of volunteers from district 2 to help the fine people of Texas. It was an eerie feeling making the drive into Houston and its suburbs. Water lines in the trees and bushes show only some what the residents were dealing with. Huge piles of house debris, sitting at the end of every driveway, where the house has been gutted and the fight against mold is taking place.

These disaster
relief trips can really make an impact on you and
make you thankful for what you have and make you hold your loved ones a
little tighter. I
was fortunate enough to spend last week with the amazing associates and customers in the
Gulfgate Home Depot, 6509, in Houston Texas. There were over 300 of us working in several Houston stores on the week starting September 15th.

This was my 7th disaster relief trip with The Home Depot and my 2nd one to Texas after Hurricane Ike destroyed Galveston in 2008. Thank you Home Depot for showing compassion to your associates and your unrelenting dedication to serving your customers in their time of need.

Thank you Ingar for sharing your experience in Texas, also thank
you so very much for your time, and help on the Harvey hurricane relief team. I
am sure our fellow associates and people of Texas found security not only with having
you and the dedicated team there, but also to know Home Depot is there to help clean-up,
rebuild and help support our associates and our nation in times of despair.